Labor Day marks the final holiday of a long and hot summer, and while many will be out on the waters or celebrating their favorite college football team’s recent victory, police are stepping up their patrols to make sure the roads stay safe for drivers.

Per an initiative that began Aug. 17 and will run through Monday, the Arkansas State Police (ASP) is conducting “additional statewide saturation patrols and checkpoints to identify and arrest drunk drivers and issue violator citations to those who ignore the Arkansas seat belt and child safety seat laws,” according to an ASP statement released last month.

According to the statement, 31 percent of traffic fatalities in Arkansas in 2010 involved alcohol. The same year, 241 of the 407 motor vehicle occupants killed in traffic accidents were not properly restrained, the release states.

“Seat belt use saves thousands of lives across the U.S. every year. Traffic safety statistics show that in 2010 alone, seat belts saved an estimated 12,546 lives nationwide,’ the release states. “Yet, too many motorists still fail to buckle up. During the calendar year 2010 there were 22,187 passenger vehicle occupants killed in motor vehicle crashes and 51 percent of them were not wearing seat belts at the time of their fatal crashes.”

The Russellville Police Department (RPD) will also step up its patrols through the city, mobilizing their safety checkpoints from neighborhood to neighborhood to ensure sobriety on the roadways while attempting to prevent drivers from predicting their whereabouts.

RPD Public Information Officer Drew Latch said while Labor Day is one of the less active holidays in terms of crime, he encouraged drivers to still keep aware of other drivers on the road.

“We want the community to know that although we’re going to be out in force, there are still going to be drunk drivers out there,” Latch said. “Holidays always seem to bring them out. Please be careful while you’re driving. Be safe. It’s not a good holiday unless you make it safely.”

Last year, RPD responded to 27 incidents, four of which were DWIs. Latch added officers won’t just be looking for intoxicated drivers, but distracted ones as well.

“Try to stay off your phones and anything else distracting you,” he said. “We just want everyone to have a good, safe weekend and try to stay safe with all this rain.”